Cornes feels need to repay South Australia
Graham Cornes believes he has a compelling obligation to South Australian football.
The game has given much to the Glenelg star, Adelaide Crows foundation coach and highly successful interstate mentor who won eight of his 10 matches when South Australia were State of Origin powers in the 1980s.
Cornes intends to balance that equation with his performance at the helm of the Croweaters at Lathlain Park tomorrow.
In a game between States he considers kindred spirits and allies against the common enemy, Victoria, the result will help underline which league is the strongest outside the AFL.
“I have an enormous obligation and responsibility to the State,” Cornes said as he prepared to end a 21-year coaching absence in a match he considered as tough as any challenge in his previous coaching incarnations.
“Football has been so good to me,” he said.
“Glenelg has been good to me and the SANFL has been good to me, so I feel an enormous obligation to repay that faith and the many benefits they have bestowed on me.
“There are some personal accolades, but that is nothing compared to the deeper responsibility of giving something back to football.”
Both WA and SA have lost a clutch of first-choice players, but still have a core of hardened State league stars.
Cornes has not taken charge of a team since 1994 when he coached the last of his four seasons with the Crows.
Like the WAFL, who appointed Darren Harris to coach the Black Swans, the SANFL went outside its current club officials to find a coach to oversee the one-off match.
Both Cornes and Harris have no doubts about the value of interstate competition and that the players involved will consider it one of the highlights of their careers.
Motivation would not be an issue, Cornes said, and even talent was not as significant as the commitment brought by the rival teams.
“It is a one-off game,” he said.
“The key is getting them together and I suspect that talent will not be the critical issue.
“Once you pull on the red jumper of South Australia it is an important game.
“West Australian teams are always talented, skilful and fast and play attractive footy, while we have our own qualities.
“The secret to State footy has always been how the players combine.”
Cornes was highly impressed by the professionalism of the South Australians and expected WA would be little different.
“The one thing that surprised me after being out of the coaching game for so long was how professional the players have become,” he said.
“Their fitness levels are excellent, their skills are good and their ability to react to the coach’s instructions have been really impressive.”
Cornes will race back to Adelaide, via Melbourne, tomorrow night to ensure he is at Adelaide Oval on Sunday to witness the 300th and last AFL match of his Port Adelaide premiership son Kane.
